The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1887-04-30
the best lands, the granting acts contained

! mountain sides therefore the railroad com
panies migh, go outside Of their 40 miles
limi, and select other lands 70 make up the
full quota Of their grants. But this was
not the worst Of H. As settlers we're rap
idly crowding upon those said outside
lands and occupying the best of them, the
railroad monopolists-the Jay Cookies, the
Huntlngtons, the Jay Goulds, &c, who not
only ruled Congress In their interests, but
also the departments at Washlngton-in
duced the Secretary of the Interior to with
draw vast areas-millions Of acres-of the
best Of these Outside" lands, from entry
and settlement, reserving them, under the
name Of indemnity" lands, for future Sc.
lection by the railroad companies 10 make
up for the deficiencies thatmight be found
In their grants. Not only before the rail.
roads were built but even before they were
located, these vast indemnify reserva
tions were made, so that, what with the un
certainty as to where the railroads would
ultimately run, with their forty mile wide
donations, and these additional reserva-
tions, WAS there really any good land left
anywhere that might not ultimately be
claimed by the railroad monopolists?
Now there was really not scrap of law
authorizing the Secretary OF the Interior to
make these indemnity" reservations, but
he based his authority upon forced con.
struction of the land grant law, by which
alternate sections for 30 miles on each side
Of the railroad lines were given to the
conn anies, and II those sections did not
In all cases cover available land, then they
could go beyond to make up the deficiency.
Well, it happened that away back in
1872, long before the line of the. Northern
Pacific Railroad was ever definitely located
in Washington territory-a vast area of the
best land there was set aside by the then
Republican Secretary Of the Interior, as IN
Indemnity reservation for the benefit of
the Northern Pacific Il. K monopoly. Six
years later-that Is, in lS7S-the railroad
meantime having been definitely located
but having as yet made no selections on
said Indemnity tract-one Guilford L..
Miller proceeded to open farm on said
tract, putting upon 1t valuable improve
ments, &c, and then preferring request
in lSS2-to the land department AT Wash
ington, to be allowed to enter it under the
homestead law. The railroad company
disputed his right, claiming that the land
was on their indemnity reservation and
they had right, which they proceeded
forthwith to claim, TO gobble Mr.. Miller's
farm to make up deficiency of their
former grant The Washington authori.
ties during republican times sided with the
railroad company, but Mr.. Miller never
gave up the fight, and finally, after Cleve.
land came in, he luckily got his case be
fore Lord Commissioner Sparks. Now the
enmity of Sparks towards the whole land
grabbing settlerrobbing tribes of every
shade and hue Is notorious, and he only
needed to get hold Of the facts of Mr.. Mi.
ler's case to see the justice of his claim
and the iniquity of the whole conspiracy,
not only to rob him but to rob the govern
ment of untold millions of land. Sparks
without hesitation decided in favor of Mil.
Ter; but his decision had to be approved
by his superior officer, Secretary Lamar,
and that officer being too indolent to look
into the case himself, referred it to the AS
sistant Attorney General for the Interior
Department; and that official, having, as is
proverblal with lawyers, a profound re.
spec; for "precedents," followed the exam
pie set in Republican times, when the rail
road monopolists were always upheld
against the settlers and reversed the Sparks
decision and Lamar assented.
Then President Cleveland heard of the
case, and had Attorney General Garland
look into It; and he, too, being a lawyer,
decided with the other in favor OF follow.
ing the Republican "precedents' BY this
time the Presidents blood began to rise
and he said GIVE me the papers, will
look into the matter myself" And he did
look 1t all through, and he saw that the
whole business was simply an outrage. "By
your interpretation he tells the Attorney
General, thousands ifnot m illions of acres
of their lands are withdrawn from the oper.
alton Of the land laws of the |. s., thus
placing them beyond the reach of our citi.
zens desiring to settle and make homes up
on them and this is done for the benefit of
a railroad company having no fixed, GER
tain, or definite interest in such land. In
this manner the beneticent policy Of the
government in relation to the public do
main has for all these years been thwarted."
The President therefore concludes by d.
recting the Secretary of the Interior ito
deal with the subject in such a manner as
to protect the setter MIR Miller and all
others In his situationl from hard ship and
loss
Good for Cleveland, and doubly good
for the study, incoruptible and iHdomita-
BILE Sparks. While the monepolists no
h,,l hao ~